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What is mass appeal though? In our little analogy we might call it Urbanization. And to the extent that that applies, it does not have only positve effects, on the contrary.
Algorithms are railways and highways, and while they may bring what we call 'modern life', there's a cost to that. Urban life, the rat race, not knowing your neighbor, pursuit of vain things and status, following the latest trend just to feel you still belong, are a player.
Algorithmic support to our new and diferent social networking landscape will come, but it may be good if that happens by slow growth and gradual evolution, so the culture can catch up and not deteriorate rapidly by inrush of city dwellers all over the country side and littering it beauty with trash, so to speak.
@smallcircles i recommend this video explaining my point. (search on peertube even in the app is still so bad when it's such a good platform it's a shame) https://video.fedihost.co/w/a1522517-704e-44a3-aa0e-5c4e7d49e7d1
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@smallcircles i recommend this video explaining my point. (search on peertube even in the app is still so bad when it's such a good platform it's a shame) https://video.fedihost.co/w/a1522517-704e-44a3-aa0e-5c4e7d49e7d1
@fwtl thank you!
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@fwtl thank you!
Note btw, that for the most part algorithms are not causing the issue of bad integrations between apps. These are due to the pragmatic nature in which our current app-centric fediverse evolves, i.e. by means of post-facto interoperability. Here app developers focus on getting app features on the wire, and whomever first succeeds in making their new custom protocol extension to become popular, becomes the de-facto standard for that feature. And everyone else should "follow the leader" or push themselves out of mainstream fediverse adoption, into their own app niche.
This is not a sustainable path, and I am among years-long advocates that we should do better in how we collectively evolve the fedi, so that it can truly become the social networking of the future. See also my posts from last week, like:
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@smallcircles everything you said can still be achieved with a customisable algo or litterally two tabs in the app : one with the chronological algorithm (still an algo btw) and one with the customized feed with your interests.
Without the second one the app is dead unless you build your feed yourself, that's really bad and explains why people got into bluesky instead of mastodon.
Also if you want to have mass appeal you don't expect people to have a boring app and understand the "new paradigm"@fwtl @smallcircles there’s a third path to avoid empty timelines vs ‘build your own’ and ‘algorithm’ - packs, which is what the Mastodon team are focussing on .. https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/10/our-ideas-about-packs/.
Because I saw your post and thought ‘oh but my timeline isn’t quiet’.. but rather than you having to find those 100s of accounts to follow to make it interesting, a pack supports different lists of accounts based on different interests. If they get it right (as they’ve got quotes right imho) then it could be really nice, and still no algo.
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
For me, it is bustling! Loads of interesting people, with lots of clever, funny, curious etc. things to say.
Best of all, the lack of content promotion / selection algorithms, and instead a simple, chronological, algorithm coupled with filters, means I mainly see stuff of interest to me.
Genuinely, the best social media experience that I've had in a long, long time!
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@fwtl yes, I'm quite positively surprised at all the good social experiences people have.
> An algo is a tool that can be used for good and the lack of one is really big problem for normies
I don't think that is necessarily the case, more so than that we are dealing with different social networking paradigms. And when people do not realize that, their expectations are off. I call this paradigm #PersonalSocialNetworking..
https://coding.social/blog/reimagine-social/#personal-social-networking
Hopping from #twitter to #mastodon is not just switching to another microblogging platform, that happens to be decentralized. The lack of algorithm gives an opportunity as well as a responsibility in order to get the most out of the fediverse: you are in control and should curate your own feed. By choosing who you follow, you shape your own village, and over time you may nurture it into a bustling city you are part of.
Algo's may help, but it is more Starter packs and app websites that can do a better introduction to fediverse social media.
> I'm quite positively surprised at all the good social experiences people have.
Really?! This surprises me, but then perhaps I am biased precisely because I am one of those people.
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undefined _elena@mastodon.social shared this topic
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles a quaint town
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles cozy village when I interact with my server or closer servers, more or less a small group of people, bustling city when I explore all the rest
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles "I experience the Fediverse as the original promise of the internet" : genuine human connections without the interference of corporate interests (or algorithmic manipulation)
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles
city, but quiet weekend city time -
undefined elena@aseachange.com shared this topic
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles A big village with highly motivated and sometimes obsessive communities with specialist interests but plenty of shared fun.
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> I'm quite positively surprised at all the good social experiences people have.
Really?! This surprises me, but then perhaps I am biased precisely because I am one of those people.
Don't get me wrong. I am one of those people too. My social experience is a cozy village, and I love to be on the microblogs, roam the timelines.
But there is also an ugly underbelly to our onlline cultures that is not properly acknowledged and discussed, let alone deep reflection on how to bring improvements. The fediverse is first of all a technosphere. Tech is created, rolled out, and culture must adapt accordingly. Externalities and unwanted side-effects are to be dealt with later, which is not easy in an app-centric fediverse where individual devs are in the lead of making feature decisions.
As an aside see this toot: https://social.coop/@smallcircles/116109447243110037
Just below the warm and fluffy surface of the cozy fedi culture there are parasocial tendencies and behavioral anti-patterns that make fedi a de-facto unsafe environment. If you don't know the mine fields and eggshells to walk on in certain areas, you may face harsh unexpected consequences, fedidrama.
We can do much better.
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles it's a manageable distraction
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@smallcircles "I experience the Fediverse as the original promise of the internet" : genuine human connections without the interference of corporate interests (or algorithmic manipulation)
@_elena I totally agree with you.
Though I perceive existential threats that I have been posting heavily about the last 2 weeks. These exist for many years and are well-known, but are getting pretty urgent now. They hold risks we have not dealt with properly. Allow me to cross-ref to what I just posted in reply to @neil ..
https://social.coop/@smallcircles/116159137251812698
The current fediverse is a marvel. What will the future fediverse be? That is the question.
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles Growing town in a country that could do with better public transport options (i.e. more natural links between the different applications).
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@smallcircles Growing town in a country that could do with better public transport options (i.e. more natural links between the different applications).
@brad yes, I agree. In particular the natural and organic aspect. Revolution by evolution. Thank you.
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@smallcircles it's a manageable distraction
@scottrochester that made me laugh. Thanks. 😃
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@RolloTreadway ah, nice. I did not know that song, ha ha.
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles I had to think for a moment but I think I'd call it a space station. A place kinda out if this world ( as it's in direct violation of the corporate model of profit above all else). Where all kinds of fabulous aliens can exchange tips, ideas and convers on many different subjects in a mostly calm and civil manner while they wait to refuel ;)
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Complete this sentence:
"I experience #fediverse as a .."
@smallcircles people obsessed with US politics when they don't even live there. That's how I experience it.
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@smallcircles No, I love ghosts, they have the coolest stories, and I don't have to deal with those pesky living people with their racism and their hate.
I also love villages, they're livable, they're walkable and the only real problem is being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, and that downside doesn't really apply online.
And bustling: Every place is full of people I want to hear from.I don't have the time to hear from all of them, but that's just the FOMO speaking.
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@androcat aha, do you mean you find it hard to get information and connections around your interest areas?
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@maikel that is a great list of points. I won't boost, or you get more of what you don't want, but you might consider filing a fediverse idea..
https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fediverse-ideas/issues
Some of these can be mitigated by nurturing cultural habits.
> 6. The worst one: people use other names instead to call them so filters don't work.
This one in particular. Besides references to toxic people you see it too with folks saying Gaggle, GMAFIA, Farcebook, etc.
Often these names are used in someone's "activism package", but using them is imho more performative to an existing in-group than that they constructively appeal to others and persuade them to join the good cause.
I posted something related to this today. See CALM culture in..
The acronym also litterally means that our social media culture becomes calmer, and there's better separation to where there's activism, and where the natural talk of the town.
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@smallcircles Cosy neighbourhood in a bustling city.
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@smallcircles Bustling ghost village ftw
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@smallcircles meadow where old man yells at clouds
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...to guess what's on a picture, and add it, so when you tell them "I'm not interested in Trump" it actually filters him forever.
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@smallcircles the problems are
1. Pics of Trump face with no trump text, so filters don't work.
2. Pics of Elon face with...see point 1. Like that all other US rage-producing club of billionaires or MAGAs.
3. Using tags as "USpol" requires manual intervention, nobody does.
4. Mastodon follows BOOSTS of whoever you add by default, instead of making those opt-in
5. People don't use alt-text so filters at least filter Trump face becaus eof the alt-text.
6. The worst one: people use other names instead to call them so filters don't work.What commercial media gets right:
1. They have the power to guess...
